Scratch, new software to create
animation

Scratch- a software which lets
users create their own animated
stories and video works has been
developed at MIT's Media lab. The free
programming tool, named Scratch, is
mainly aimed at kids.

The main advantage of Scratch is that
it lets users create their own
animated artworks without knowledge of
prior computer languages. Scratch uses
a simple interface which allows users'
programs to be assembled like building
blocks.

Scratch has been developed at the
MIT's Media Lab, US and allows users
to blend video, audio, and pictures.

Professor Mitchel Resnick, one of the
researchers at the Lifelong
Kindergarten group at MIT, said,
"Computer programming has been
traditionally seen as something that
is beyond most people - it's only for
a special group with technical
expertise and experience. We have
developed Scratch as a new type of
programming language, which is much
more accessible."

Objects that can be downloaded or
cut-pasted from other websites can be
put together in different blocks and
animated.